1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to pan release compositions having low viscosity and good functional properties including one or more of less residue build-up, reduced darkening, and enhanced cleaning ease. More particularly, the invention relates to pan release compositions having low viscosity structured lipids as pan release components and which compositions are applied by spraying onto a cooking surface, have a smoke point which is suitable for cooking applications, and as combined with other components of the pan release composition reduce residue build-up and/or exhibit the other good functional properties noted herein. These compositions are especially valuable for food service uses, where large-batch food preparation is typical and where clean-up issues are more formidable than for uses on a smaller scale.
2. Description of Related Art
Vegetable-based edible oil compositions long have been used in cooking applications. Edible oil products provide taste, nutrition and anti-stick properties for any number of pan cooking, baking or similar types of uses and applications. Edible oil products of this general type include margarines, whipped spreads, tub margarines, shortenings, oils and sprayable compositions. Room temperature viscosities of these products vary depending upon the composition and the intended end use. Some such end uses require a viscosity low enough to permit propelling of the composition by an aerosol unit, a pump assembly, or other means for dispensing in a spray or mist pattern, whether for use in home kitchens, commercial kitchens, or on industrial cooking or baking lines. Products which are dispensable in these manners are referred to herein as pan release products or pan release compositions.
In the pan release art, references such as Rubin et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,661,605 teach a surface release product in the form of an aerosol composition which is dispensed onto a cooking surface intended to be heated for food cooking purposes. This so-called pan release composition contains lecithin in a water dispersion, together with an aerosol propellant and a preservative which can be a vegetable oil and a fatty acid ester in relatively low quantities. When a typical product of this type is sprayed onto a cooking surface, the objective is to have a non-stick film of hydroxylated lecithin formed on the cooking surface. While products of this type have proven to be successful, improvements have been sought in these types of products, and this invention provides means for improving pan release products.
Clapp et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,156,876, U.S. Pat. No. 5,374,434, U.S. Pat. No. 5,431,719 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,567,456 disclose food release compositions which generally require a water-in-oil emulsion including lecithin, an edible oil and an emulsifying agent. Avoiding the use of an alcohol such as grain alcohol is noted in some Clapp et al. art as being desirable. Incorporating phosphated glycerides also is noted. Standard edible oil components are taught by the Clapp et al. art.
The present invention provides a pan release composition having a novel type of pan release component or product which incorporates interesterification technology to provide pan release products that have multiple advantageous properties which are desired for pan release applications. These include a smoke point which is adequate to perform properly in various types of cooking applications. It is often difficult to obtain an adequately high smoke point in a product which must be thin enough to be sprayable. It is also important that pan release products which exhibit a lightness in color when used under heat application and which minimize residue build-up so as to not detract from the appetizing appearance of the food or the like being cooked or baked with the pan release product.
Medium chain triglyceride (MCT) edible oils are known in the art including Seiden U.S. Pat. No. 5,288,512, Bertoli et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,395,629, Hidaka U.S. Pat. No. 5,503,855 Takeuchi U.S. Patent Publication No. 2002/0001660, and Heydinger and Nakhasi, “Medium Chain Triacylglycerols, Journal of Food Lipids, 3, pages 251-257 (1996). These, and each of the publications and patents noted throughout herein, are incorporated by reference hereinto.
Publications such as these define these medium chain triglyceride or medium chain triacylglycerol (MCT) compounds as being a class of lipids of glycerol ester fatty acids. MCT's are esters of glycerol with medium chain fatty acids of 6 to 12 carbon chain lengths. Sources of these fatty acids typically are lauric oils. Coconut and palm kernel oils contain significant quantities of C8 (caprylic) and C10 (capric) chains. Often, isolated fractions of C8 and C10 acids contain small amounts of C6 and C12 acids as well. The primary components of MCT edible oils have C8:0 and C10:0 fatty acid chains.
Interesterification is a known reaction of triacylglycerol structures whereby individual positions of interesterified fatty acids are interchanged on the glycerol moiety. This is at times referred to or recognized as a randomization wherein fatty acid moieties from one glycerol component are exchanged with those of another glycerol component. The result is to prepare glycerol moieties which have interchanged fatty acid moieties which vary from glycerol structure to glycerol structure. Art in this area includes Pelloso et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,434,278, Doucet U.S. Pat. No. 5,908,655, Cherwin et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,124,486 and Liu et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,238,926.
The art of interesterification has developed to provide, for example, triglyceride compositions which provide certain melt profiles which can be of interest in certain applications. Generally these are recognized as “structured lipids” in order to help distinguish the interesterified products from physical blends of the same components which have not been subjected to interesterification.
Heretofore, it has not been appreciated that the combination of interesterification technology and MCT technology would be especially advantageously applied to the task of improving pan release compositions. An especially important problem in this regard, which is addressed by interesterified components according to the invention, is to provide a composition that has a water-like viscosity to enable even aerosol spraying while simultaneously having improved darkening control, as well as a smoke point high enough to provide excellent pan cooking or baking characteristics.